Carmen González González de Mesa

La caída de la motivación autodeterminada en jóvenes escolares

The purpose of this study is to analyze the progressive decommitment of young kids towards physical activity from the Self Determination Theory perspective(Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991). The sample was formed by 705 students, ages 10 through 14 (329 were elementary students, and 376 were junior high students, with an average age of 12.7). Three MANOVA analysis were conducted 2 (gender) X 2 (educative cycles), that showed that the elementary education students showed a more adaptive than secondary education. The Self Determination Theory predicts that these results are the consequence of social factors. Therefor this investigation points out key factors that should be taken into account in the physical education class such as collaborative learning, a classroom environment directed towards self-improvement, and student participation to make decisions in the classroom.

La competencia de representación espacial, el autoconcepto, la actividad artística y la actividad física de los maestros en formación en el ámbito de la expresión plástica

In this paper we examine the relationship between the spatial representation competence and internal variables: self-concept, effort and persistence. Similarly, we examine the relationship of this competence with external variables: external physical activity and external artistic activity in spare time. The research was conducted on 189 Bachelor Degree undergraduates in Infant and Primary Teaching Education. Three types of questionnaire were given to the students group: Scale of Persistence and effort (Guang, Xiang, McBride and Brune, 2006), Questionnaire Autoconcepto Forma AF5 (Garcia and Musitu, 2001), and a Graphical questionnaire of spatial representation adapted to the aims of the present investigation. The results obtained showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the practice of external artistic activities and the emotional dimension of self-concept, and also a link between physical activity and the physical dimension of self-concept.